Method and system for monitoring health of an individual

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention include a system for improving the general personal health of individuals by networking a plurality of individuals who with remote systems, preferably personal computers that are in communication with a central server through the internet. The remote systems also communicate with external servers storing documents relating to health information, non-health information, and entertainment content. In one embodiment of the present invention collect data relating to an individual's demography, personal health, familial health and personalization factors. Using this information, the system generates a health and preferred news and entertainment content profile of the individual. Embodiments thereby provide a healthcare information portal that provides directed healthcare information and other information to attract the individual's attention.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to healthcare and, in particular, to an improved method and system of monitoring a patient's condition. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Lifestyle factors contribute to the development of many chronic diseases, and their associated morbidity and mortality. Many of these chronic health conditions may be prevented, and an individual's span and quality of life improved through changes in lifestyle, such as consuming a healthy diet, exercising regularly and eliminating the abuse of tobacco and alcohol. In particular, cigarette smoking is the single most preventable cause of premature death in the United States. More than 430,000 Americans die each year from smoking-related illness, translating to one in every five deaths. An additional 110,000 people die of causes related to alcohol abuse. Obesity is another major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. More than half of all adults in the United States are considered overweight...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

Embodiments of the present invention include a system for improving the general personal health of individuals by networking a plurality of individuals who with remote systems, preferably personal computers that are in communication with a central server through the internet. The remote systems also communicate with external servers storing documents relating to health information, non-health information, and entertainment content.

Problems solved by technology

Obesity is another major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States.

Far from being a purely cosmetic disorder, obesity substantially increases morbidity and impairs the quality of life in affected individuals.

It is not possible for an individual to change his or her genetic constitution; however, an individual knowing that a close relative has been afflicted by a certain disease can alert the individual and / or his or her healthcare provider to a potential problem.

Although many people believe that healthy individuals tend to be healthy in every aspect of his or her life, individuals who maintain healthy behavioral patterns and habits in one attribute are not necessarily free from risky behavioral patterns in other attributes.

Unfortunately, traditionally-used preventive care and health education approaches suffer from several drawbacks.

The mass-marketing techniques used for health education by most health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and insurance companies allow for little customization of information to an individual's needs.

Consequently, many individuals do not directly identify with the educational approaches used by their healthcare providers, reducing their effectiveness.

For an example, a general search on the Internet may return information about a healthcare study, but that study may not be relevant to the individual demographically.

As a result, not only will an individual potentially stumble into masses of irrelevant information, but the irrelevance of it may be obscured by those trying to disseminate healthcare information to a mass audience.

As a result, the unavailability of relevant, directed information reduces the likelihood of an individual benefiting from the available educational material, or incorporating such knowledge into his or her lifestyle.

Perhaps even worse, given the vastness of available unstructured material, the probability of missing relevant health information is increased.

Furthermore, many individuals are not even aware of the relationship between their health and their lifestyle choices.

The relevance of health information that appears in the media is not fully appreciated by the individual.

Given the client-driven nature of content delivery in traditional media, many individuals do not receive specific health related advice, simply because they have not sought information.

Images